Side pumped laser systems are laser systems in which the pump radiation is provided from a pump source to an elongated gain medium along a side of the gain medium that extends parallel to its long axis, i.e. the pump radiation is provided perpendicularly to the beam axis.
However, such side pumped laser systems are often inefficient due to divergence of the pump radiation between the light source and the gain medium. In order to address this issue, it is common practice in the art to provide various optical components, such as a cylindrical lens and focussing optics, between the pump source and the gain medium in order to focus or collimate the beam. However, this increases cost and can potentially result in alignment issues.
It is an object of at least one embodiment of the present invention to provide an improved side pumped laser. It is an object of at least one embodiment of the present invention to eliminate or mitigate at least one problem with the prior art. Particularly, it is an object of at least one embodiment of the present invention to provide a more compact and/or robust and/or stable and/or low cost side pumped laser.